The Art of Breathing
by Sharinganblossom
Summary: Sometimes when life screws you over you notice a few things. Like how good it feels to scream, how funny the labels on nail polish bottles are, and how much you really want to kiss your best friend.
1. The Art of Change

The Art of Breathing 

Summary: Sometimes when life screws you over, you notice things. Like how good it feels to scream, how funny the names on nail polish bottles are, and how much you really want to kiss your best friend.

**Okay…this is the first story I've done that ISN'T a sasusaku fic. I'm sorry to all of you naruhina fans. Don't get me wrong I love naruhina but kibahina is just too adorable for me to ignore. Let's face it, Kiba is ALWAYS there when Hinata needs him and he deserves some love. **

**Anyways, enjoy the story. **

The Art of Change

Alright, I can do this.

I'm a Hyuuga, it's time I started acting like one….sigh. I sound like my father.

My shoulders slump and I give up the attempt at an inner pep talk. Walking over to my closet I pull out a navy and red plaid skirt and a long sleeved red shirt. I continue on to my dresser pulling out my undergarments and a pair of knee high black socks. This will have to do for the day. It may be the dead of winter, but the skirt and socks will cover enough of my legs to keep me warm.

I changed quickly and looked at myself in the full length mirror by the huge sliding glass door that covered my wall. I tugged at my long navy hair self-consciously. Anyone that knew me knew that my self esteem level wasn't exactly high. It was the product of my father's heavy criticism.

I went into my bathroom, tied my hair back, and went to tug on my black boots. I slipped on my gray jacket and picked up my green messenger bag at the foot of my bed, shoving the book on my nightstand into it and pulling my keys out.

I took one last look into the mirror, staring back into my own pearl white eyes. Today was my first day in "Naruto Rehab" as Ino would call it.

Naruto was a blonde, whiskered boy I had had a crush on since we were in elementary school. That's fairly long considering I just started college in the fall. But last night I got together with a few of my girlfriends to catch up. We talked about random things that led to boys, that led to Naruto, that led to me feeling dejected as always at the fact that he never noticed me, which led to the overall decision of me giving up on him.

He was just a crush, nothing more nothing less, but he was still a big part of my life, and today I would move on and leave him behind. Every picture I had that even had a glimpse of Naruto in it was burned in Sakura's fireplace last night (It was Ino and Sakura's idea, Tenten just thought it was crazy).

Having recalled last nights events I nodded to my reflection with, what I thought, looked like an air of confidence. I still couldn't help but wish that I was invisible though so that could stay home in bed all day.

The car pulled up to the curb in front of Konoha Mall's main entrance. I smiled over at Neji, "Thank you for the ride."

Neji was my cousin. He used to hate me when we were younger because my father, Hiashi Hyuuga, was the head of the Hyuuga family not to mention the large company our family owned and his father, Hizashi Hyuuga (who was my father's twin brother), was pushed aside. After Hizashi died Neji came to live with me, my father, and my sister, Hanabi, and with his status of being a prodigy my father instantly brought him into the family business since I was apparently a disappointment in that department…

The point is though that ever since then he's been like an older brother to me. Plus he's dating my friend Tenten which is a bonus. (Although it is a little scary that his long coffee colored hair is prettier than mine…I should probably ask him about that.)

He nodded his head and replied, "Any time Hinata-sama. And don't worry, I'll cover for you."

I smiled gratefully. I got lucky this morning since my father had gone into work early. I was working at Pacific Sun at the mall, but my father didn't know. He thought it was stupid for me to get a job when he expected me to take on the family's business and we were already plenty wealthy for me not to have to work for my money. I didn't like the idea of just buying whatever I wanted because of my family's wealth so I secretly got the job to earn my own spending money (I also got rides from Neji because I don't like riding in the limos my father insists that I use).

I work before school on weekdays (most of my classes don't start until noon) and sometimes on the weekends. I'm constantly making up excuses for why I'm gone and Neji and Hanabi cover for me too.

I got out of the car and slid the passenger seat forward to grab my bag from the backseat. I slung it over my shoulder and dug my keys out of my jacket pocket.

"Goodbye Neji-nii-san, and thank you again."

"I'll see you later," he smirked "and good luck with your first day in 'Naruto Rehab'."

I felt my cheeks heat up and fingered the Twilight keychain (Sakura gave it to me) holding my keys together.

Neji chuckled and pulled away from the curb. I mentally made a note to confront his girlfriend about how to keep a secret later.

I flipped through my keys until I found the key to the store and bent down to unlock the large gate that was lowered over the store's entrance and windows. I took a sip of my hot chocolate, thankful that Shino always made it to work early.

Shino was a quiet boy that didn't talk to too many people and always wore these dark sunglasses. He worked at a Starbucks in the food court and I always stopped by on my way to the store to get some hot chocolate (I'm not a big caffeine person).

I sat my bag and my cup down on one of the small ledges that lined the bottom of the store windows. I lifted the gate up and let it travel the rest of the way to the compartment above the door where it stayed hidden during business hours.

I threw my keys in my bag and grabbed it and my cup and went into the store. I walked behind the checkout counter and stored my bag on one of the small shelves under it.

I sat my cup down and went around the counter to one of the small tables at the front of the store with some sweaters scattered across it. I began folding them when someone over my shoulder said, "How do you always fold them so neat like that? My sister can do it too so it must just be a girl thing."

I squeaked and jumped. The sweater I was folding went flying and I spun around with one hand at my throat and my body being supported by the table. I swear it slid back when I jumped.

It was Kiba Inuzuka, my co-worker and best friend. He had wild brown hair and some of the most friendly brown eyes you'll ever see (they even beat out Tenten's). He had a nice natural tan and two red triangle marks on his cheeks (I had asked him about them once and he said it was a family thing). He was grinning at me showing his canine-like teeth, but it wasn't creepy, it was actually very friendly.

"Sorry if I scared you Hinata." He rubbed the back of his head sheepishly and shrugged out of his gray jacket walking behind the counter to put it up.

I regained control of my speeding heart and picked up the fallen sweater before shrugging out of my own jacket. I stood across from him on the other side of the counter. He held his hand out wordlessly asking for my jacket. I handed it to him and he stored it away with his own.

He folded his arms on the counter and leaned forward on them, giving me his full attention. "So how was your weekend?" he asked with a wolfish grin, knowing perfectly well that it was a silly question.

I giggled a bit at that. He always asked me how my weekend was even though I usually spent most of it with him. On Friday we had gone back to his house after work to watch some movies while his sister, Hana, worked late. Then on Saturday we went to the park with his dog, Akamaru, and ran around downtown Konoha going to random stores (he even posed as a mannequin in a few of the clothing departments and then scared the people who came up close to inspect him. I was turning purple from laughing so hard).

"You were there, Kiba. You know how my weekend was." I said laughing.

He chuckled. "Yeah, but weren't you doing something with the girls yesterday?"

I was blushing. I knew I was.

Kiba raised his eyebrows at me. "Wow…must've been something pretty embarrassing for you to blush like that."

Of course that only made me blush even more. I stared down at the countertop. "Well…um….you see…"

"Now you're stuttering too? Damn, I missed one hell of a party."

I looked up at him and gave him a pointed look, but smiled none the less. I knew he was joking to help me feel better. He didn't seem to like it whenever I was nervous (he was the one that helped me get over my stuttering problem when we were kids).

I took a deep breath. "Well…we were kind of talking about Naruto."

Kiba tensed. He fought to keep his facial expression casual but I could see his clenched fists that he attempted to hide under his arms. Kiba knew about my long time crush on Naruto, but he always seemed a little tense or angry whenever the whiskered boy came up in a conversation. I never knew why though.

He spoke again and I could tell he was struggling to keep the anger out of his voice, "If he hurt you…"

I waved my hands and rapidly shook my head. "No, no it's nothing like that! He didn't hurt me."

I had tried talking to Naruto before and he had always ignored me. I used to cry because it hurt so much. Kiba hated that and always threatened to beat Naruto up for hurting me. One time he actually did (though Naruto didn't know _why_ he had been pummeled).

He seemed to relax a bit, but he was still a bit tensed with the direction our conversation had gone. "So what about him then?"

I looked down at my hands and pulled at my sleeves. "I've decided….to give up on him."

He didn't say anything so I looked up. He was frozen looking at me. His eyes held bewilderment….and what looked like…hope? What was he hoping for?

"….Seriously?" He said slowly.

I nodded and stood straighter saying confidently, "Yes….Ino calls it my first day in 'Naruto Rehab'."

Kiba laughed at that. "She would…I'm happy for you Hinata." He gave me a warm smile that made my heart flutter.

I smiled and turned back to the table of sweaters I had been organizing.

A few hours later Kiba and I had been working hard, taking turns at the cash register. It was currently his turn and I was talking to a customer about which top would look better with the skirt she had found on one of the racks.

She went on to talk about different shades of red when I felt someone's eyes on me. I looked around and my eyes met with Kiba's across the room.

He looked surprised and shifted his gaze back to the register. I shrugged thinking he was probably checking up on me….but that's the fifth time today that I've caught him watching me.

I laid my forehead down against the counter. How could _so many people _spend hours in one store on a _Monday? _Didn't any of them have school or work or LIVES?

"Tired Hinata?"

I looked up at Kiba who set a bottle of iced tea down in front of me. I smiled and opened the bottle taking a sip. He took the bottle back when I was done and took a sip. "Come on, I'll walk you outside. Neji's picking you up right?"

I nodded and pulled my bag and our jackets out from under the counter and walked around it handing Kiba his jacket. He took it and slipped it on. Before I could move he took my bag and laid it on the counter then took my jacket and held it open for me to slip my arms through.

My eyes widened a bit but I turned and slipped my arms into it. I turned back around and he grinned at me holding my bag out.

I returned the smile and slung my bag over my shoulder. We walked to the door where Kiba held the door open for me and we waved at the people who were taking over the next shift. We made our way through the crowds of people to the main entrance of the mall. Once outside I zipped my jacket up realizing how much colder it had gotten.

I pulled open my cell phone and texted Neji to come pick me up. Kiba moved a little closer than me to read the message over my shoulder. "How long will it take before he gets here?"

I looked back at him, "He's close by so it will only take a few minutes."

He nodded but didn't move away. It was actually kind of nice since it was pretty cold out here. He pointed across the parking lot, "I see him."

I looked and he was right, Neji was pulling around. I made a move to walk closer to the curb so Neji would see me but I felt Kiba's hand on my shoulder.

I looked over at him and asked, "What is it?"

He smiled and moved his hand to his jacket pocket and shrugged. "Nothing, I just wanted to tell you that you look really pretty today."

My face heated up for what felt like the millionth time that day and I turned my gaze away from his warm one.

"T-thank you." I stuttered out. "I-I'll see y-you later Kiba."

I hurried to the car and opened the door before Neji could even stop it. I closed it once I was settled in and looked back at Kiba out the window. He still had that warm smile on his face and was waving. I waved back and leaned back in the seat as Neji drove off.

He gave me a questioning look. "Are you alright?"

I nodded not meeting his gaze directly. "Yes…it's just very cold out."

I could sense that he knew I was lying but he didn't say anything and returned his focus to the road ahead of us.

I thought back to Kiba's warm smile and all of his looks that he had given me through the day. I couldn't help but feel a little confused….and I suddenly knew that things were going to change in more ways then I had ever thought possible.

**Like it? Love it? *shrugs* I'm happy with it. ^_^ **


	2. The Art of Laughter

**ALRIGHTY! Thank you guys that reviewed the first chapter! I'm happy to see all of those Kibahina fans! Well here's the next chapter! Enjoy! **

The Art of Late Nights

I really never liked English in high school. I mean yeah, we read some really interesting books. We even did some pretty cool projects. Like during freshman year when I had to perform a scene from Romeo and Juliet with Sakura and Tenten. The after school practicing was a lot of fun and we got an A on our skit (We even got to watch everyone else's performances. Kiba was a really great Romeo and he laughed for a week when he found out that Naruto had to play Juliet for his own scene.)

It was always a lot of work though. Almost everyday something was due, whether it was a paper, a worksheet, or even a test. And with me being in honors classes I only got double the work and more books to read (My bookshelf is filled up with most of those books).

Knowing all of this I have to ask myself…..WHY DID I DECIDE TO TAKE AN ENGLISH COURSE IN COLLEGE?!

I was currently sitting cross legged on my rug with several binders and books open around me. I was flipping through some papers that I had written, marking certain areas I thought needed improvement with an orange highlighter. I had changed out of my clothes when I got home from classes and put on a black tank top and my purple pajama pants with clouds all over them.

I heard a light knock on the door and said, "Come in," before capping my highlighter and setting my paper aside. Tenten walked in and closed the door behind her. She looked at the mess on my floor with wide eyes. "Ew…English work…." She made a hissing sound and covered her eyes, pretending to cower in fear.

I rolled my eyes. She laughed and sat in the large, cushioned, reading chair in the corner between my closet door and the sliding glass door. "Seriously though, it looks like some school supplies blew up in here."

I pulled my long hair out of its ponytail and got up, stepping over my work and walking to my bathroom. "Sorry, I have a lot of English."

Tenten grinned, "I can see that. I'm glad I didn't take any English courses. I got enough of it in high school."

"Aren't you having trouble in calculus though?" I asked from inside the bathroom. I tossed my rubber band into a drawer and pulled out a hair clip.

"True…still, I'd rather be barely passing math then working on English any day."

I rolled my eyes again even though I knew she couldn't see it. I twisted my hair and pulled it upwards against my head, clipping it into place. I walked out of the bathroom and sat back down in the circle I had made.

"I'm starting to wish I took a math course too."

Tenten nodded and was about to speak when my ring tone cut her off.

_Now when I caught myself, I had to stop myself_

_  
From saying something that I should have never thought_

_  
Now when I caught myself, I had to stop myself_

_  
From saying something that I should have never thought of you, of you_

(**A/N: Yes, I like Twilight but honestly this song was stuck in my head at the moment so it has now become her ring tone XD)**

I pointed at the phone and Tenten immediately got up and grabbed it off of my desk and tossed it to me. I caught it and looked at the number. It was Kiba. I blushed a bit remembering his complement from earlier and Tenten raised an eyebrow at me.

I flipped it open and pressed it to my ear, "Hello?"

"Hey, Hinata!"

Tenten mouthed, "Who is it?" I answered her question by responding, "Hi, Kiba." She raised her eyebrows, as if saying, "Oh, okay."

"So what are you doing?" Kiba asked from the other end.

"I'm attempting to finish some English work." I admitted sheepishly.

"Ouch," he said.

"Yeah," I responded. "What are you doing?"

I could almost hear him grinning when he said, "Avoiding my psych work." I heard a barking noise. I giggled and Tenten looked at me again. I mouthed, "Akamaru" and she laughed.

Kiba sighed, "Akamaru is trying to make me work but when I told him I was going to call you instead he seemed alright with it."

I laughed, "I guess Akamaru likes me a lot then."

Kiba was a little quiet suddenly before he said in a warm voice, "Yeah, I guess he does. I think it's hard for him _not _to like you."

I pulled my eyebrows together in confusion. "Oh really?"

He coughed and said, "Well yeah. I guess he likes you since I like you so much."

I felt the blood rush to my cheeks. Tenten was now on the floor in front of me, trying to lean in so that she could hear the conversation.

I didn't know why I blushed at that comment. Of course he would like me, I'm his best friend aren't I? I tried to force the heat away from my cheeks and laughed saying, "Yeah that makes sense."

He sighed. It almost sounded like he was frustrated. "Are you okay?" I asked.

His voice sounded nervous now as he said, "Um, yeah, yeah, I'm good."

I grinned evilly, "Well, I don't know about _that._"

"Hey!" He laughed. "Whatever Hinata, you know I'm good."

"Yeah you're _not._" We were both laughing now. Tenten still looked a little suspicious.

I turned my body away from her and she huffed, poking my arm. I swatted her hand away and said, "So is that why you called me? To get a distraction from working?"

I could almost see him shrug when he replied, "Well that, and I just wanted to see what you were doing."

I sighed and squeaked loudly when Tenten poked my ribs. He said, "What was that?"

"Nothing." I said quickly while glaring at Tenten. She grinned in a way that said ha-ha-that's-what-you-get. Kiba laughed and said, "So how much work _do_ you have?"

I stuck my tongue out at Tenten who returned the gesture, "Probably enough to make me pull an all nighter."

I heard some shuffling and a slight growl from Akamaru. Kiba spoke again, "That's not good…why don't I come by and help you out?"

I instantly sat up straight. "Kiba, I don't want you falling behind in your work-"

"Relax, Hinata. I don't have that much to do, so I can always work on it later. You on the other hand sound like you need all the help you can get."

I sighed, "Really, Kiba, you don't have-"

"But you know I am anyway," he said. "I'll see you in a little bit."

I knew I wasn't going to win this one so I groaned and said, "You are so stubborn."

He chuckled and said, "Yeah, but you love me anyway right?"

I giggled, "Yeah, I guess so."

He laughed again before he hung up. I closed my phone and saw Tenten looking at me with a devious expression.

"What?" I asked.

She grinned. "I didn't know Kiba could make you blush like that, Hinata."

My eyes widened. "What?!" I didn't think I could say anything else.

Tenten poked my arm and said, "You like him don't you? That's the same blush you always have around Naruto."

I set my mouth in a straight line. "Of course I like Kiba, he's my best friend!"

Tenten rolled her eyes. "That's not what I meant and you know it." She accused.

I looked down at the phone in my hands. "He's my best friend, I can't like him like that."

"I didn't ask if you _could _like him like that, Hinata."

I looked back up at her. "I don't like Kiba like that. He's my best friend."

"Your best friend that you've known since you were in diapers, who has always been there for you, who you talk to everyday, who calls you all the time-"

"Don't you have to go make out with Neji, Tenten?" I interrupted.

She grabbed a pillow off of my reading chair and threw it at me. I giggled and threw it back. She grinned at me. "You do have a good point though."

I tossed my phone on my bed and picked up my highlighter.

Tenten got up and went to my door. Before she left though she said, "Have fun with _Kiba._"

A flip flop _barely _missed her head.

Thirty minutes later there was another knock on my door. I gave them the okay without looking up from my paper.

"Damn, what exploded in here?"

I looked up to see Kiba closing the door. I smiled, "According to Tenten some school supplies blew up."

He chuckled and sat down next to me, just outside of my little circle of work. I tossed my paper onto one of my stacks and closed my eyes while I rubbed my temples.

"Tired?" Kiba asked. I groaned and nodded. I heard him move but didn't pay much attention to him until I felt his warm hands on my shoulders. I sat up straight and whipped my head around.

He held his hands up as if saying, "Don't shoot."

"….What are you doing?" I asked hesitantly.

Kiba shrugged. "Giving you a neck massage; you look like you need one."

I touched my hair suddenly self conscious. "Really? Do I look that bad?"

He smiled warmly and reached over, pushing some of my loose hair behind my ear making my cheeks flush. "No."

My face only got warmer. It was the way he said that word, "No." Like he thought I could never look bad. Or like he thought that I was silly for ever assuming such a thing.

He pulled away from me and said, "You need a break."

I raised an eyebrow. "What did you have in mind?"

Kiba grinned.

It only took one minute for me to realize what he was planning.

It took ten minutes to run downstairs, raid the pantry (without being caught by my father of course), grab all of the chips and pretzels we could find, and bring them back up to my room.

It took another five minutes to pop a bag of popcorn, put it in a bowl bigger than my head, and carry it upstairs.

It took another minute to grab drinks.

And it only took five seconds for the both of us to start pigging out and then jamming out to my stereo's CD changer.

Kiba tossed some popcorn in the air and caught it in his mouth when it came back down. All of my pages and books had been moved against the wall to keep them clear of all of the junk food. I was singing along to the radio and painting my toenails a lime green color.

_There's a place off Ocean Avenue,_

_  
Where I used to sit and talk with you,_

_  
We were both 16 and it felt so right,_

_  
Sleeping all day, staying up all night,_

_  
Staying up all night._

Kiba looked at the stereo and then at me asking, "Who sings this song again?"

"Yellowcard," I said as I capped the nail polish bottle and wiggled my toes, watching them shimmer.

"Oh yeah," He was lying on my bed with his legs hanging off of the side and one arm folded behind his head. "I like it."

I looked over at him and said, "Me too. It's cheerful, but romantic at the same time."

He looked over at me with that same warm smile that I've been seeing a lot of recently. "Yeah you're right….it kind of reminds me of me and you though."

My eyes widened, "Me and…you?"

He nodded. "He talks about when he and this girl were younger and what they used to do together," Kiba looked back up at the ceiling with a far off look in his eyes. "When I hear it I remember when we were those ages, and I remember all of the fun we had together."

I gulped when he said "together." I averted my eyes to the far corner, but that only made me look at the work that I had put off to goof around with Kiba. I turned my gaze to my nail polish bottle and read the label instead. Without warning I started laughing.

Kiba sat up and looked at me like I had grown another head, "What's so funny?"

I picked the bottle up and held it out to him. "The name of the color is _Toxic Waste._"

He raised both of his eyebrows at me. "…And you think it's funny that you painted your toes with a color named _Toxic Waste_?"

I nodded and wrapped my arms around my ribs, laughing harder. He started chuckling to though and fell back on the bed from laughing so much. I leaned back against my desk, fighting to catch my breath.

I looked over at my best friend who was still laughing. I just gazed at his shaking form thinking, _"He has a nice laugh." _

I closed my eyes and smiled. After a few minutes I couldn't hear him laughing anymore. I couldn't hear the music either. Everything was dark, but I saw myself sitting next to a certain brown haired boy with my head on his shoulder, and my hand cradled in his.

And he was laughing, and I was laughing…..and I couldn't help but love this bizarre dream.


	3. The Art of Hiding

**Yeah, I know, I need to update more often….well….I AM NOW! YAY!!!**

XXX

Everything was black…and then my mind slowly came into consciousness, bringing that bright, annoying light with it. I groaned and pried my eyes open and rubbed the sleep out of them. I sat up and couldn't help but notice the strange warmth that my body was wrapped in. I looked down….and saw my bed sheets tucked around me (**A/N: HA! You probably thought it was Kiba didn't you?**)

My eyes popped wide open now and I looked around frantically. I could've sworn that I didn't fall asleep in my bed; in fact, Kiba was the one that had been lying on my bed last.

I didn't think my eyes could get any bigger. Kiba; he was here wasn't he? At least…he was here last night.

I blinked when I realized _again _that _I did not fall asleep in my bed. _

I could feel my cheeks heating up. I was pretty sure no one came into my room last night, which meant that _Kiba _had to have been the one that put me in my bed. As in, he _picked me up _and _carried me_. And he also seems to have tucked me in.

I smiled a little. Kiba really was a sweet guy. He always put my needs first…

I swung my legs over the side of the bed, but what I stepped on wasn't the floor. Whatever I stepped on grunted and moved…which caused me to fall _on top _of what I stepped on.

Groan.

"Owwy…"

Blink.

Blink.

Blush.

"Hinata….?"

"…Yes, Kiba?"

"…Why did you step on me…and why are you on top of me?"

Super blush.

"EEK!"

I sprang up and away from Kiba, my hands flying to cover my mouth. I glanced at my door. My squeal was probably loud enough to wake one of my relatives up, which wasn't good, especially when Kiba was _sprawled out on my rug. _

I shook my head, fighting to gain composure and grabbed Kiba's arm, trying to pull him up. "We have to hurry!"

He rubbed the sleep out of his eyes and it seemed like he was still fighting off his earlier blush too. "What's wrong, Hinata?"

He finally realized what I wanted him to do and stood up. "We have to get you out of here before-"

"Hinata? Is everything alright?" Neji's voice cut in. He sounded like he was just down the hall…which meant I had very little time to hide Kiba before he got to my door.

"Hurry!" I whispered loudly to Kiba who still looked dazed and confused. I sighed exasperatedly, "You're not supposed to _be here_! Remember?!"

His eyes widened with understanding and he looked around. His gaze fell on the door to my closet and he turned to me saying, "Would it be completely idiotic for me to hide in your closet like all of those boyfriends do on TV shows?"

My cheeks flushed since this really did look like I was trying to hide my boyfriend in my closet before my dad waltzed into the room, expecting to find me in here alone. Except Kiba _wasn't _my boyfriend, he was my best friend, and my dad _wasn't _going to check up on me, my cousin was. Yeah…

Either way, it might look bad if Neji found out about Kiba staying the night in my bedroom. It would lead to embarrassing questions, which would lead to embarrassing, stuttered-out answers on my part, which would probably lead to me having a panic attack and passing out from said embarrassment.

I only nodded furiously and started pushing Kiba towards my closet. He opened it and jumped into my selection of clothing before I closed the door behind him.

I spun around when I heard a light tapping on my door followed by Neji saying, "Hinata? Can I come in?"

My gaze drifted around the room, trying to figure out a way to not look suspicious when my eyes fell on my forgotten school work from the night before. I grabbed up one of the textbooks and jumped onto my bed, laying sideways and flipping it open to a random page number before saying, "You can come in, Neji."

The door opened and Neji walked in, his gaze immediately settling on me. "I thought I heard you…scream…is everything okay?"

I hated lying. I really did, but I just couldn't let Neji suspect anything. "Yeah…I tripped on one of my textbooks."

He looked at the textbook in my hands, then the pile of them that were pushed off to the side. "You tripped over a textbook?"

"That's right."

"…Your books are on the other side of the room, Hinata."

On top of me not being comfortable with lying, I also wasn't very good at it. "Oh…um…I was walking out of the bathroom and I tripped…and then after my little episode I just kinda…stood up and walked over to the bed…" The way I said it made it sound more like a question than an explanation.

Neji didn't look like he believed my lengthy story, but he didn't say anything else about it. "Shouldn't you be getting ready for work?" he asked.

I smiled and nodded, closing the book and standing up.

Neji turned to leave, but he stopped and turned to look at me over his shoulder, but it wasn't me that he spoke to. "Kiba, if you would like a ride to work or back to your home, then I suggest you stop hiding."

My jaw dropped open and, right on cue, the door to my closet flew open and Kiba tumbled out, dragging some of my clothes with him. He groaned and rubbed his head before turning to Neji with a bewildered expression on his face. "How did you know I was…?"

Neji smirked at Kiba, then at me and said, "You two aren't very quiet…I heard you up last night as well as when you were trying to hide." He grabbed the doorknob and started to close the door behind him.

Kiba and I looked at each other, and then at the door when Neji poked his head back in. He said, "And also, Hinata isn't a very good liar." The door clicked shut and he was gone.

Kiba stayed in his position on the floor, and I just stood there staring dumbly at the door.

"Well damn…_that _went well."

"…Hush, Kiba."

XXX

I stepped out of the shower, roughly towel-drying my hair.

It took a few minutes, but Kiba and I had finally started moving around after we had been caught. I had helped Kiba up from his uncomfortable position on the floor and he helped me put my clothes back in my closet, but not before handing me an outfit.

I looked at the clothes that were neatly folded on my bathroom counter for me to change into. When Kiba had handed them to me, he refused to look at me and had a scarlet blush on his cheeks. I wondered why, but then he said, "You're going to have to get the…uh…_under clothes _yourself." That was enough to heat my face up like a Christmas light.

I shook my head, smiling slightly before I grabbed my under garments to put them on.

I heard Kiba's voice on the other side of the bathroom door. It sounded like he was talking to someone.

Taking the clothes off of the counter, I examined them. They were a simple pair of jeans and a dark gray sweater with a slight v-neck to it. I smiled; Kiba wasn't too bad at picking out clothes.

I slipped them on and ran a brush through my hair, deciding to leave it down today. I brushed my teeth and put all of my used laundry in the hamper behind me before I stepped out of the bathroom.

Kiba was sitting on the edge of my bed, holding his phone to his ear. When he saw me step out of the bathroom, he looked me up and down and nodded appreciatively, giving me a small smile.

I smiled shyly and tucked some of my hair behind my ears.

"Alright, well thanks for letting me know…yeah, I'll tell Hinata. Bye." He slid his phone closed and stood up, putting it in his front pocket.

I raised an eyebrow at him. "You'll tell me what?"

He grinned. "That was our boss; he said that he's doing some remodeling or something in the store, so we won't be open today, maybe even a few more days."

I smiled brightly and said, "That's great!"

Kiba nodded and tilted his head, examining me. I blinked and pulled my sleeves down over my hands, nervously.

He gave me a soft smile and reached his hand out, fingering the fabric of my sweater at my shoulder. "That color looks nice on you." he said.

I averted my gaze and said a quiet, "Thank you."

I looked at his hand on my shoulder that seemed to have frozen there. It wasn't that I didn't like his casual touch, but it was more the fact that his action was making me nervous and anxious and thinking things that I probably wasn't supposed to be thinking.

"Um…I'll go with you to your house if you'd like." I said, finally looking back up at him.

His gaze was on my shoulder, but it quickly snapped over to meet mine when I spoke. He retracted his hand and said, "Yeah, sure…" He smiled suddenly. "I'm sure Akamaru misses you."

I giggled and moved past him to get the things that I would need out of my messenger bag.

I pushed my keys into one pocket and my wallet into the other. I glanced at Kiba over my shoulder and he was putting his jacket on. I hadn't even noticed until now that he had taken it off.

I put my phone in my pocket with my keys and I was ready to go. Kiba lifted my jacket from the back of my desk chair and handed it to me when I walked back over. I slid it on and he followed me to my bedroom door.

We were walking down the hallway and were at the top of the staircase when I heard a voice that made my hold body freeze.

"Yes, I'm on my way to the office right now…" My father was still home.

My eyes widened and I spun around, pushing Kiba backwards. He stumbled and grabbed my wrists gently to stop me. "What's wrong, Hinata?" He asked, giving me a puzzled look.

"My father is still here," I whispered gravely. His eyes widened slightly. He knew how strict my father was, and he knew of my slight fear towards him.

Kiba backed up, pressing himself against a wall, out of view from the lower floor. I was about to follow his lead when I heard, "Hinata?"

I turned and saw my father at the foot of the stairs, looking up at me with a raised eyebrow. "What are you doing here? Don't you have classes today?"

I swallowed before answering, "No, I don't." It wasn't a lie; I actually _didn't _have class today.

He nodded, and then narrowed his eyes at my appearance. It was pretty obvious that I wasn't planning on staying home.

"Where are you planning on going?"

I fiddled with my sleeves. "I was going to go visit Kiba." I wanted to look over at Kiba then, but I didn't dare to do it. My father would notice.

He seemed confused, but then realization dawned on him. He always tended to forget the names of my friends. "Yes…that boy." I thought I heard Kiba snort, but decided to ignore it for now.

I nodded and said, "Yes…have a good day at work father."

He kept his stony gaze on me for a few more minutes before striding to one of the side doors that led to our large garage. He turned back to me and said, "Try not to waste your entire day, Hinata. You could be using this time to study."

He closed the door with a slam and I felt my shoulders slump as soon as he was gone. My father was never compassionate. He always thought that I was wasting my time. He pretty much thought that I was a failure. His own child wasn't even prepared to take over the family's large business, and it had to be entrusted to his nephew…

I felt a hand on my shoulder and turned to see Kiba standing beside me. "Hey, forget him." He said, waving a hand in the direction that my father had left in.

I smiled, trying to reassure him that I was fine. He just wrapped an arm around my shoulders in a half-hug.

We waited for a few minutes to make sure that my father was actually gone. I even checked the garage to make sure that his car wasn't there anymore.

I pulled my keys out of my pocket and started towards my own car (I rarely ever used it, but I didn't want to burden Neji with giving us a ride, and I wasn't going to use the limo), but Kiba gripped my arm to stop me.

I looked at him and asked, "What?"

He smirked, "You didn't think I _walked _here, did you?"

I closed the garage door and followed Kiba to the large double-doors at the front of the house. We walked out and I locked the door behind me before we walked around the circle drive and across the large lawn to the gates at the very front of the driveway. I opened those as well and locked them behind us.

Kiba guided me to the curb where his black Mustang was parked. It was like Kiba's baby; he repaired it and everything when he had first found it, and he always kept it clean and taken care of.

He opened the passenger door for me and I slid in, buckling up while he got in the driver's seat and started the car, making sure to turn the heater up.

I fiddled a little with the radio while Kiba drove. It didn't take long to get from my home to Kiba's, but it was long enough that I wasn't going to sit through some radio commercials.

There were so many commercials this early in the morning and hardly any good songs. I finally got fed up and sat back in my seat, crossing my arms. Kiba just chuckled beside me.

He leaned forward and turned the radio off. I was going to protest but he just pointed at the windshield. I looked, and saw that we had arrived at our destination. The Inuzuka residence.

XXX

**Yeah…I finally, finally, FINALLY, update…and I leave it with a sortakindamaybe cliffhanger. SORRY! *laughs nervously* Anyways…I hope I haven't totally lost any of you and that you still like this story enough to keep reading it! **


	4. The Art of Awkward Moments

**As per usual, I apologize for not updating at a speed that some of you would like XD. I can't really blame school since I still have quite a bit of free time, I CAN blame my laziness and the inability to really just sit still and type out all of my ideas in one sitting. Anyways, please enjoy this next installment!**

XXX

Kiba parked in the empty driveway (I assumed his sister and mom were at work, explaining the emptiness) and turned the car off. We stepped out and I looked up at the somewhat large, two story house. It wasn't nearly as big as my home, but it was pretty impressive.

I followed Kiba down the short, stone path that led to the front door, losing myself in my memories of walking into the Inuzuka residence as a child and always smelling whatever Kiba's mother was making for dinner. This place had always been a second home to me, and in some ways I preferred it here where it was warm, open, and friendly rather than being alone in my large, somewhat spotless house.

I smiled at nothing in particular as I watched Kiba flip to his house key and unlock the door. As soon as it was open, a large, fluffy, barking dog came flying at me, propping his front paws up against my shirt and licking my face. It was Akamaru.

I laughed, scratching behind his ears the way that I knew he liked. Akamaru licked my chin, indicating at how happy he was to see me.

Kiba came up and grabbed the dog by the back of his neck, gently, and pulled him off of me and onto the pavement. He smiled up at me and said, "I told you he missed you."

I smiled and knelt down next to Kiba, petting Akamaru's head. The dog rolled onto his belly and I scratched there, much to his enjoyment. When we were little, Akamaru would jump all over me whenever I came over. Kiba always apologized for it, but I only told him that I didn't mind and I would sit and play with the pup for hours, never growing tired of the hyper animal.

Kiba patted Akamaru's belly and stood. I followed him, walking into the house with the dog on my heels. I closed the door behind me, locking it and looked around at the living room that I was so familiar with.

Kiba had taken his jacket off and laid it across the back of a large black couch and I mimicked him. I walked around, standing between the couch and the coffee table, looking around the room.

The walls were painted warm colors, and all of the furniture seemed to fit into place like pieces to a puzzle. There were also a lot of house plants. And the pictures. There were pictures hanging everywhere in the room. I always loved looking at the pictures and it seemed like every time I came over, there were new pictures that Ms. Inuzuka had taken from the week before and hung up on her wall.

"Hey, Hinata, are you hungry?" I heard Kiba call from across the room. I looked over and saw him standing in the doorway to the room that I knew to be the kitchen, watching me.

I nodded and walked over to him. He smiled when I came to stand next to him and pointed to the wall by the kitchen entrance. "Check it out," He said. I looked to what he was gesturing to and smiled. Kiba was pointing to some pencil marks on the wall that marked his, mine, and Hana's heights since we were kids.

I laughed, touching one of the marks that came up to my waist, saying "You're not this tall anymore, are you?"

Kiba laughed too and said, "Hey, you were shorter than me, so I don't want to hear it."

He stepped into the kitchen and I was about to follow when he motioned for me to stay put. I waited until he came back, holding up a pencil. I raised an eyebrow at him and he rolled his eyes and said, "Stand up by the wall so that I can mark your height; unless you want everyone that stops by to think that you're a midget." He smirked after he said this and I smacked his arm.

"Alright," I said, stepping back so that my back was pressed against the wall. He stepped forward, close to me, and brought his arm up over my head, holding the pencil against my scalp. I felt him moving it and heard the scratching against the wall as he marked my height.

My mouth opened to say something but stopped, my gaze focusing on his neck. He was positioned so close that the tip of my nose would graze his throat if I turned my head. I couldn't look away from the tan skin and I watched as he swallowed, causing the muscles in his neck to shift. Since when did he even have any kind of muscle on his neck? And if there was muscle on his neck, what did his arms look like, or even his chest or stomach…?

I couldn't believe the turn that my thoughts had taken, yet, as embarrassing as they sounded, I didn't feel my face heat up. If anything, I was in a trance. I let out a deep, shaky breath. I felt Kiba shiver, the pencil frozen above my head. If I moved, just a little bit, then my lips would brush his neck, just enough for me to…

"Hinata…?" Kiba whispered. He almost sounded like he was out of breath. My eyes widened, his voice seeming to cut into the suddenly thick air. I found myself opening my mouth and finding my words frozen again as I felt my lips brushing against his throat. I had moved that small distance closer without even realizing it.

My heart was racing in my chest, making this moment feel so much more real. This moment…why was I even _having_ a moment? And with Kiba, my best friend? And why didn't this feel as wrong as I thought that it sounded (even though it didn't really _sound _wrong either)? What could it _really _hurt?

I closed my eyes and pressed my lips against Kiba's neck, not really kissing the skin, just sort of touching it…with my mouth.

Moving faster than my dazed mind could comprehend, I found Kiba fully pressed against me, the pressure between my back and the wall increased. My lips weren't touching his neck anymore, and my eyes were open and staring into his brown ones that held so much of so many things in them that I couldn't really depict any of them. I was almost like he had too many things to say at once, and couldn't get them all out fast enough.

His breathing seemed labored now, compared to earlier when it felt like he had stopped breathing all together. I finally felt that heat dusting across my cheeks when I realized that I could only feel his breathing because his chest was pressed against mine.

My gaze darted away, but it didn't help that I could still feel his intense stare on me. I found the pencil on the floor and mustered up my voice, saying quietly, "We should probably mark your height now."

The heavy air seemed to evaporate. Kiba's grip slackened on my arms (I didn't even know that he was gripping my arms until now) and he took a step away. I took deep, even breaths, trying not to make what I was doing obvious to him.

He bent down to retrieve the pencil and I chanced a look at his face. His jaw seemed tight, like he was clenching his teeth together. His whole body seemed kind of stiff and it looked like he might be restraining himself, but from what I didn't know.

He glanced at me from the corner of his eye and I saw a sort of wonder and longing in them now.

Kiba stood up straight and held the pencil out to me. I took it and stepped away from the wall, feeling awkward. He didn't say a word as he stepped up to the wall, leaning his back against it.

I gripped the pencil so hard that it probably should have broken in half. I couldn't decipher what had just happened and I hated that everything seemed so tense now. My inner psychiatrist told me to "talk it out" but I didn't know _what _I was supposed to be talking out. I sure as hell wasn't about to say "sorry that my mouth touched your neck, Kiba, but it looked so nice that I had to."

I felt like running. Like bolting out of the front door and taking off down the street, but this was Kiba and I just couldn't run from him. I licked my lips and said, "Sorry that I kind of…invaded your personal space, there." Yes…because that was SO much better.

I chewed on my lower lip, feeling like an idiot which made me feel like crying, which made me feel like MORE of an idiot, not to mention a little kid.

Kiba's face seemed to soften. He could read the frustration and confusion that was probably written all over my face. He shrugged and offered a light smile, saying, "It's no big deal…are you going to measure me, or what?"

I smiled back, grateful for the subject change. I stepped up to him, standing on my tip-toes. I hesitated before I brought the pencil up, knowing that I would be achingly close to him again, especially since I was shorter and would have to stretch a little bit to reach over the top of his head. Holding my breath, I leaned up, making a quick dash on the wall above him, and then settled back down, flat on my feet.

I took a quick step back, putting a smile on my face and said, "Well, now neither of us will look like midgets."

Kiba gave a short laugh, his gaze lingering on me. He spared me the awkward moment and the even more awkward conversation, but I could tell that he was still questioning everything that had just happened and was fighting against flat out asking me.

I stepped into the kitchen, avoiding his gaze and placing the pencil on the counter top. I heard his footsteps on the tiled floor and made myself look busy by petting Akamaru who was sprawled out in front of the refrigerator.

Kiba cleared his throat, making me finally look back over to him. "I'm going to go ahead and take a shower; I probably smell like Akamaru after he's been outside all day."

I laughed at that, feeling things shifting back into normalcy. "Alright…do you want me to pick out your clothes too?" I asked, motioning to my sweater.

He chuckled and grinned his wolfish, Kiba-like grin and said, "Nah, I think I can handle it."

I smiled at him and watched as he left the room. I looked back to Akamaru. His head was up and he was looking at me, almost as if he was asking a question.

I sighed and asked the pooch, "What is happening to me, Akamaru?"

XXX

Fifteen-minutes later, Kiba walked downstairs with a black, long-sleeved shirt and a dark pair of jeans on. He shook his head, sending little droplets of water everywhere. I made a show of looking at Akamaru and rolling my eyes. Kiba laughed and nudged my shoulder before plopping down on the couch next to me.

I was watching some movie that I had found on TV. It seemed to involve a lot of car chases and explosions. Mindless violence that gave me something simple to focus on since I simply did not want to think about certain _other _things.

Although, with Kiba back from his shower and sitting incredibly close to me, it was hard to think about anything else, even with a car spontaneously combusting in front of me.

Kiba put his arm across the back of the couch, behind me. "What movie is this?" He asked.

"I'm not sure." I replied, handing him the remote control.

He pressed the button for the TV guide so that he could see the title of the movie. I looked over at him, the horribly wrong yet completely _right_ thoughts about him continuing. His hair was still damp and mussed, some of it falling in his face. The shirt he wore stretched across his chest, hinting at the muscle that I had been wondering about earlier.

I forced my gaze back up to his face, focusing on the red triangle mark on his cheek. What was wrong with me? Why do I suddenly feel the need to touch him?

I folded my arms tightly across my chest, determined not to give into temptation again. Just look at where it landed me last time.

I heaved a heavy sigh (though I made sure that Kiba wouldn't hear it) and leaned my head on Kiba's shoulder, freezing after I realized what I did. It was a perfectly common thing; whenever I was tired or upset or just felt like it, then I would lean my head on his shoulder. Though, right now, it didn't seem to be very appropriate with the situation.

I was about to move but Kiba's arm lowered from the back of my couch to wrap around my shoulders. He looked down at me and said, "Are you okay?" just like he always did.

I knew that I couldn't lie, especially not to him, so I just said, "Not really."

His hand rubbed my arm, trying to soothe the tension that he could probably feel just from touching me. I didn't say what was bothering me, (I practically kissed his neck for, who knows, what reason, then he pins me to the wall, and now there are awkward silences, and I have this weird desire to just _touch _him and I have NO IDEA WHAT IS GOING ON! THIS IS TOO MUCH TO THINK ABOUT THAT HAPPENED LESS THAN HALF AN HOUR AGO!) but I don't think that I really had to say anything. I'm pretty sure that Kiba already knew what was bothering me. Even with this weirdness that I felt towards him now, I was still glad that he knew me better than anyone, so much that it seemed like he could read my mind.

His hand stopped rubbing my arm and he asked something that I didn't expect. "Hinata…are you afraid?"

I was quiet for a moment as I thought. I didn't know what was going on, what I was feeling, what _he _was feeling. It was like I was seeing some part of him that I had never seen before, but at the same time it was like I had always known that it was there (I also wanted to know why I seemed so ominous and wise about what I was saying…).

"Yes." I whispered.

His hand held my chin and lifted my face up to look at his. "Don't be," he said. The look on his face was sure and sincere. His face scrunched up into a look of hesitation. "Just promise me that, whatever happens, you won't run from it." _That you won't run from __**me**__._ That was what he really meant, and we both knew it.

I searched his eyes for a second before saying, "I won't."

Kiba smiled so big that if someone had walked into the room, they probably would have thought that I just handed him the key to the Universe. He pulled me to him and hugged me tightly. I inhaled his scent, letting myself _lose_ myself, just for right now, and wrapped my arms around his middle, hugging him back.

I felt him kiss my head again and he whispered, "I don't think you know how much that means to me, Hinata."

I didn't know what to say, so I didn't say anything. I don't know how long we sat there, just holding each other before I heard Paramore's, _"I Caught Myself"_ playing. We pulled apart and he let me answer my phone, not taking his eyes off of me as I said, "Hello?"

"Hey, Hinata! Where are you?"

"Hey, Sakura," Kiba nodded slightly, probably wondering who was calling me until now. "I'm at Kiba's house."

"I should've guessed; if you aren't at your place, then you're at _his_." She said this suggestively and I raised a questioning eyebrow.

"Is there something you needed?" I asked politely.

"Actually, I wanted to know if you wanted to come over to Ino's place with me and Tenten; we were going to talk, catch up, and maybe gorge ourselves on some junk food. Plus, you've been working _way _too hard lately."

"Umm…hang on," I pulled the phone away from my ear and placed my hand over the mouth piece. I whispered to Kiba, "Sakura wants me to meet her at Ino's house…is it alright for me to go…?" I didn't want to abandon Kiba, but I didn't want to turn Sakura down either.

He laughed and said, "You don't need my permission. Besides," He shrugged. "I was supposed to meet the guys in a few hours, anyways. I'll give you a ride over to Ino's."

I nodded and put the phone back up to my ear. "Sure, I'll be over in a little bit."

"Do you want me to swing by and pick you up?"

"No, Kiba said he'll take me."

I heard Sakura giggle before saying, "Alright, see ya later!"

I clicked the phone shut and slid it back into my pocket. I looked back over to Kiba but he was up, standing behind the couch and putting his jacket on.

XXX

Kiba pulled the car up to the curb, parking there.

I unbuckled my seatbelt and waved to Sakura, Ino, and Tenten who were at the front window of the house, staring at the car.

I turned and smiled at Kiba, saying, "Thank you for the ride." He nodded, smiling back.

I put my hand on the car door, pushing it open and stepping out when I felt Kiba's hand grab my wrist.

"What's wrong?" I asked, turning back to face him. He was leaning across the seat, smirking up at me. I sent him a questioning glance that he answered by tugging my arm and pulling me back into the seat.

"Kiba, what's-" My words dropped off when he leaned forward and pressed a kiss to my cheek. It was such an affectionate gesture, something that I wasn't entirely used to. Sure, he kissed my head, but that was it.

I tried to speak but my words were stuttered, so I clamped my mouth shut to save myself any further embarrassment.

He smiled softly and said, "Have fun," before releasing my arm and allowing me to step out of the car in my dazed state.

I watched him drive away from the house, my hand pressed to my cheek. Suddenly, this seemed really…relationship-y. And not a "just friends" relationship, and I didn't know whether this was good or bad.

I walked up to the front door, pondering, and was about to open it when it flung open to greet me with, "OH MY GOD! KIBA KISSED YOU!"

"WHY DIDN'T YOU TELL US THAT YOU TWO WERE TOGETHER?!"

"I KNEW YOU TWO HAD A THING FOR EACH OTHER!"

…I'm in _way _over my head.

XXX

**Hmm…Hinata is confused. Well then, Kiba will just have to fix that now won't he? Lol, hope you guys enjoyed this. **


	5. The Art of Merriment

**Update has arrived! **

XXX

I couldn't do anything more than stay in my seat and watch my friends chatter and circle about.

Sakura was saying something about how she knew this day was coming and Ino corroborated her claim. Tenten was mostly muttering things about impeccable timing.

I sighed. "Girls, really, don't you think you're making a big deal out of this?"

"No!" Ino shouted. "This is like, a classic love story!"

Sakura nodded her agreement. "She's right—girl meets guy, falls in love, but he doesn't feel the same way. The _best friend _has been watching from the sidelines for years and comforting her while secretly wishing for her to give _him _a chance. Now, she's done with the idiotic guy and the best friend finally gets his chance!"

I think I stared at her for a good minute. The whole monologue should have given me reason enough to think her insane, but my brain was wrapped around one word. _Love_.

"Okay, Sakura. How is this a love story?" I tripped over the word, but pushed on before any of them could comment on it. "I mean, yeah, I really liked Naruto, but I wouldn't say that I was in love with him...and you make Kiba sound kind of pathetic and...I don't know, not _Kiba_. And what chance? There's no, no _romance_ between us!"

That last sentence made me feel like I was lying. And I not only suck at lying, but I don't like to do it. But how could it be a lie? It was true, wasn't it?

Ino and Sakura looked a little frustrated, but Tenten just smiled at me. Out of all of my girl friends, she was probably the closest to a sister to me (which could have to do with her dating my cousin and being at my house all the time).

She sat on the foot stool in front of my seat, making her gaze level with mine. "Hinata, I'll admit, Sakura's little story was a bit _too much—_"

"It was not! It was totally called for!"

"And Ino may be just as crazy as she is—"

"I resent that!"

"_But _they do have some basis of truth going on."

I opened my mouth to deny, question, say _something _but Tenten didn't let me.

"I think Kiba really likes you, Hinata. I mean _like _likes you. And Sakura and Ino, in their own _subtle _ways—" She gave the two girls a dry look, both of whom returned with very unattractive expressions. "Agree with me."

I blinked at them. How could they think that? I mean, I'm Kiba's _best friend_, wouldn't I have known if he had some kind of feelings for me beyond friendship?

I stared at each of them in turn. Ino was still glaring at the back of Tenten's head, no doubt for her previous comments. Sakura had a very calm expression and was watching me like she was waiting for something to happen. Tenten was still smiling, and I was kind of glad that she was.

I sighed, finally admitting to them what I was having trouble admitting to myself. "Okay, look...I'll admit that _something _has changed between us in the past few days...but I don't really know _what_ and I don't want to jump to any conclusions yet..." I looked down at my lap.

Before coming here, Kiba had told me that whatever happens he doesn't want me to run away from...whatever was going on. The only question is, what is there to not run away from? He's always been very warm and kind to me, but lately, that same warmth and kindness has had a sort of strange _intimacy _to it.

I shivered, opening my mouth, saying something that I didn't even realize I had a fear of until now. "What if Kiba _did _like me like you say he does? Then what?" I jumped up from my seat, startling them. "What if we _were_ to go into a relationship and it ended badly? It's one thing for me to give up on a crush like Naruto, but Kiba?"

My shoulders fell with my eyes. The horrible outcome of a hypothetical situation was making me feel more sad that I could ever remember feeling before. "It's one thing to lose a little crush. But I can't lose my best friend."

Suddenly, they all seemed very solemn and I felt like they probably understood where I was coming from.

"Well...that's understandable. But not doing anything isn't going to make this go away." said Ino.

I turned to her. "That's just it though, who says there's something _to_ _do _anything about?"

She looked like she wanted to pull her hair out. I quickly tried to compensate. "All I'm saying is that just because you guys think that there's something..._going on _between me and Kiba doesn't mean that there _is_."

It didn't help much because Ino threw her hands into the air and left the room. Sakura sighed and followed her, probably to keep her from breaking anything.

Tenten stood from her seat, standing just a few inches taller than me.

"Look, I know this all seems ridiculous to you, but it seems pretty obvious to us."

I opened my mouth to argue, getting tired of these accusations when she held up her hands.

"Hear me out. I was in your exact same position with Neji."

My shoulders visibly relaxed. She was right. Neji and Tenten were best friends, but Tenten had always harbored romantic feelings for him. She was afraid of losing her best friend in fear of him not feeling the same way. She knew exactly how I felt.

She shrugged, saying, "It's scary, I know. And you don't quite want to believe it. But sometimes, you've got to be willing to take a risk." She smiled. "And hey, just because Neji and I are in a relationship now doesn't mean that we're not still best friends."

I nodded, following her to go search for the other girls. Tenten knew exactly where I stood, but she and I weren't the same person. She was willing to take the risk, but I wasn't sure if I was.

XXX

I was happy that we were finally doing something besides talking about me or Kiba or anything relating to me and Kiba together. At Tenten's suggestion (I love this girl) we started playing _Apples to Apples_. And an hour later I had almost forgotten about our previous conversation.

"What? Forehead-girl how could you choose gnomes over a car accident? A car accident is way more dangerous than a gnome!"

Sakura rolled her eyes. "You obviously don't know anything about gnomes."

I giggled, taking the stack of green apple cards from Sakura when a phone started to ring.

Ino stretched over to where her purse lay on the floor. "That's mine."

She must've recognized the number because she flipped it open and pressed it against her ear. "Hello?"

I could hear the tiny chatter of a voice on the other end.

Her face lit up. "Oh, hey Shikamaru! What's up?"

Tenten handed me the stack of red apple cards and I began to deal them out. Ino was still talking, giving short yes and no answers to whatever Shikamaru was saying to her. She hung up as I placed the next topic on the floor.

"Hey, Shika said that they were going to the pier to go ride some rides and hang out and stuff. He said we should swing by!"

Sakura didn't look up at her, debating between two of her cards. "Wow, Shikamaru actually invited us to something? I'm impressed that _he's _even going to the pier."

She had a point. Shikamaru was notoriously lazy.

"You said 'they'—who is he going with?" Tenten asked, placing her chosen red card on the floor.

"The guys. You know, the usual group—Naruto and Sasuke, Chouji, Kiba, even Neji."

I blinked. "Wait," I said. "Kiba told me he was supposed to be hanging out with the guys tonight. I guess this is what he meant."

Ino looked like she wanted to make a suggestive comment but Tenten cut her off. "So, do you want to go?"

"Uhm, yeah!" The blond threw her hands in the air.

Sakura rolled her eyes. "Ino, we can see your cards."

"Who cares? We're going to the pier!"

At once I felt nervous. I hadn't seen Naruto since my decision to stop pursuing him, so I couldn't know what seeing him now would do to me. And after my last encounter with Kiba...

My cheeks were red. I knew they were.

Sakura and Ino weren't paying me any attention, one being busy with collecting the game cards and the other leaving to go "make herself look stunning."

Tenten's hand fell on my shoulder.

"Hey, don't freak out. You're done with Naruto and Kiba is your best friend. There's nothing to be worried about."

My expression must not have been very reassuring.

"Okay, you know what? Just stick with me."

"...No offense, but I don't think I want to be around when you try to suck my cousin's face off."

"WOMAN."

XXX

Tenten turned her Jeep into the massive parking lot outside of the pier. The sun had just set and the entire pier was lit up with lights from the rides and signs, some blinking and colorful, others simply lighting the way.

It was a fun place that everyone in town loved to come to. There were a lot of carnival games and rides set up all down the large wooden strip. It also had plenty of delicious meals and sugary treats and benches set up in various places that overlooked the ocean.

Ino sat forward, pointing her arm out towards some location in the dark. "There they are!"

I poked my head out the side, thankful that we had decided to take the top off of Jeep. I looked to where she pointed. I recognized a few figures standing in the middle of an empty parking space between two cars that were familiar to me.

Neji raised a hand, signaling us.

Tenten smiled, turning down another row of cars. "Yep, I see them."

Ino grinned, unbuckling her seat belt to stand up from her position in the back seat with me. She gripped the rail that ran across the top of the car with one hand and waved with the other.

She shouted, "Hey guys!"

Tenten and I laughed wholeheartedly. Ino was definitely a free spirit. Sakura turned to look at her with a smile. "Ino, you're going to kill yourself!"

Ino just stuck her tongue out at her.

Tenten turned towards the available parking spot, forcing the boys standing there to move—there was only one time that they didn't move out of her way, and that resulted in Naruto's foot being in a cast for six months.

With the car in park, I unbuckled my seat belt and looked at our company. I recognized Sasuke leaning against the side of Neji's car, ignoring something that Naruto was babbling on about. He reminded me a lot of Neji sometimes, so I never had much of a problem being around him.

On the other side of us I saw Kiba's Mustang. He, Chouji and Shikamaru were standing around it, watching us pull in. Chouji grinned, yelling, "Hey girls!"

Naruto seemed to have just realized that we were here and approached the car along with Chouji. Sasuke was relieved for the distraction.

As soon as the car was turned off Neji was at the driver's side door, pulling it open for Tenten. I could only smile at the light blush across her nose.

She took the hand he offered to her and climbed out. As soon as she was on the ground, he pulled her seat forward and held his hand out to me. One thing about Neji, he was a gentleman. Especially to women that were of some importance to him.

I stood next to Tenten, already implementing her stay-close-to-me plan.

Sakura climbed out of the passenger seat, greeting Naruto and Sasuke while Ino vaulted out over the side of the car.

She placed her hands on her hips, leaning forward in a menacing fashion. "Hey! How come you didn't offer me any help, Romeo?"

I suspected that if Neji wasn't so noble, he would've rolled his eyes.

"You seemed to have everything under control."

Sakura came up behind her and said, "Plus you're of no importance to him."

When Ino's jaw dropped, the whole lot of us couldn't help but laugh.

Naruto came forward to swing an arm around her shoulders. "Don't feel too bad—Tenten's the love of his life and Hinata is his family. They get all of Neji's nice-ness and we get his...uh..."

Neji's glare effectively cut him off.

"We just get the rest of his charming disposition."

I turned to Kiba who had now stepped up beside Sakura, his trademark wolfish grin on his face.

He laughed when Neji finally did roll his eyes. And then he was looking at me. His grin softened into a gentle smile and I could feel the blood rushing to my face. I quickly averted my gaze over to Tenten.

She was listening to something Neji was saying so I pretended that I was doing the same. I moved a little closer, inconspicuously reaching out to squeeze her fingers. She slanted her gaze towards me and I offered her a tight smile.

She tugged on my hand and I realized that our group was moving forward, walking to the pier entrance.

She put on a smile as she leaned closer to me, saying, "What's wrong?"

I rubbed my elbow, not quite knowing how to respond. I didn't think anything was wrong really.

"I'm...I don't know."

I looked up at her and she was glancing back at something behind us. I followed her gaze to see Kiba walking with Chouji and Sasuke.

Sasuke was brooding as usual with his hands in his pockets while Chouji said something about wanting to try the barbeque. Kiba nodded absentmindedly towards Chouji, but his eyes were staring right back at me. He smiled at me and I couldn't help but smile back before facing forward again.

Tenten grinned at me and whispered, "Hey, if he's looking at you like that, I don't think there's anything wrong."

And before I could really think about it, I felt that she was right.

XXX

"Okay, this is the one. This one will knock them _all _down!"

Ino wound up to pitch her eighth ball at the bottle pyramid. Shikamaru stood beside her, muttering things about her being "a troublesome girl," yet still willingly paying for every ball that she threw.

I giggled, pinching off a piece of Sakura's cotton candy. Sakura just shook her head, saying, "Give it up, Ino! You're not going to hit them!"

Ino grunted in response, hurling the ball at her target. She only managed to knock the bottle at the top off.

Sakura and I made a show of cheering for her. She shot us a nasty look. Shikamaru sighed.

"Oh, nice shot, Ino!"

I turned to see the other boys coming our way, minus Neji. He and Tenten had gone to ride the ferris wheel.

"Are you sure?" She had said to me. She wanted to stay true to her word about staying close to me, but I knew how much she loved riding the ferris wheel and there was no way I could say no to that cute, child-like expression on her face when she first saw it.

Ino glared at Naruto. "Oh, bite me!"

He only laughed, coming up beside her and placing a few bills on the stall counter. "Let me show you how it's done!"

Sasuke grunted and rolled his eyes. "You can't hit them either, dobe."

"Shut up! I bet I can knock down more than you!"

Sasuke, being a man of pride, smirked and stepped up beside him. He placed his own money down.

Sakura looked at me and rolled her eyes. Men. I giggled.

"Hey, Hinata—long time no see."

Kiba came to stand beside me, grinning. Chouji followed him, eagerly eating something off of a paper plate.

"You've got to try this, Hinata! It's delicious!"

I smiled. "Thanks, but I've kind of been gorging myself on Sakura's cotton candy. And yeah, it feels like I haven't seen you in _years_." I said to Kiba. Weirdness aside, his banter was the same as always.

He chuckled and motioned to the booth. "How long has Ino been at it?"

"It feels like it's been hours."

Ino cried indignantly, "Hey! Hinata, you're supposed to be the _nice _one!"

Kiba howled with laughter and I joined in.

"Please, Hinata has a dark side!"

"I do not!"

He tugged playfully at my sleeve. "Uh, yeah you do."

I rolled my eyes dramatically, forcing a grin out of him.

"What? You cheated!"

"Tch, how could I cheat? You just won't admit that you suck at this."

We turned to Naruto and Sasuke who were still wrapped up in their competition. It appeared that Sasuke had bested the blond boy who was not at all amused by it.

The booth vender laughed good-naturedly. "Now come on boys, you both knocked down enough to win some nice prizes!"

Ino pouted and stamped her foot. "Dang! I was trying to win the polka-dotted monkey!"

Naruto blinked. "Well, I you can have it if you want." He motioned towards her desired prize and the vender took it down and handed it to him. He passed it over to Ino who immediately wrapped her arms around it.

He turned back to Sasuke. "I want a rematch!"

Sasuke rolled his eyes, taking a red teddy bear from the vender and passing it over to a surprised looking Sakura. "You can challenge me all you want but you're still not going to win."

Naruto growled, placing more money on the counter. Sasuke sighed but did the same.

I nudged Sakura's ribs and motioned to the bear in her arms. She coughed into her fist, trying to hide her blush. She quickly changed the subject, saying, "Well, you got your monkey, Ino."

Ino grinned and showed it to Shikamaru who just sighed. He probably didn't like spending so much of his money, but he had a soft spot for her and couldn't really turn her down.

I smiled. "Personally, I would've gone for the green elephant."

She looked back up to the wall of prizes, spotting my selection. "Oh! That _is _cute!"

Shikamaru hung his head, despairing for his wallet.

Chouji nudged my arm and said, "Why don't you try to win it, Hinata?"

Sakura grinned. "Yeah! You can't possibly do any worse than Ino did."

"You know what? If you're all going to keep insulting my athletic ability, then I'm leaving!"

She marched off towards a two-story merry-go-round, clutching her monkey under one arm. Shikamaru groaned but followed after her.

"It's a wonder what he sees in her." Chouji said, popping a piece of meat into his mouth.

We laughed and I reached into my pocket for my money. "She's not that bad!"

I stepped up to the counter, placing my money on the counter when another hand beat me to it. I looked up to see Kiba's smiling face.

"I've got it. Besides, I think I'll take a shot at it too."

"Oh, you don't have to do that..." It wouldn't be the first time that Kiba insisted on paying for me, but I still felt bad about it.

He pushed my money back towards me and handed his own to the vender. "You're not going to change my mind."

I smiled, "Well then, I bet I can knock down more than you."

He laughed. "Oh, now you're feeling competitive too?"

I picked up one of the balls given to me, took a step back, and hurled it towards the stack of bottles on my side. I managed to knock off two.

Sakura laughed behind me. "See? You're better than Ino already!"

Kiba barked out a laugh too, throwing his own ball. He managed to topple the entire pyramid down.

We each took turns, throwing the remainder of our balls at the pyramids before us. Sakura and Chouji were both cheering me on, but despite that Kiba still managed to out-throw me.

I smiled up at him. "Lucky for you I am willing to graciously accept defeat."

He grinned at me and motioned towards the wall of prizes.

"You both did really well!" Sakura said before turning towards the other two boys who were still locked in their own competition. Apparently Naruto was making a comeback.

"Here, Hinata."

I turned to see Kiba holding the green elephant out towards me. I couldn't help the shy smile that spread across my face as I accepted it.

"Thank you, Kiba. You didn't have to get this."

I shrugged and rubbed at the back of his neck. "You liked it though, and it's not like I was going to do anything with a stuffed animal."

"Well, you could've gotten one for Akamaru."

He laughed. "Oh yeah, I can see the stuffing all over the house now."

I laughed, knowing that he was absolutely right.

"Oh! Hinata, look!"

I turned to see Sakura motioning towards a stage set up several yards across from us. There was a band playing a festive song and people were grouping together in front of the stage to dance.

Sakura shoved her bear at Chouji and went to grab Sasuke's arm. "Let's go dance!"

She was already dragging him towards the crowd, cutting off what was definitely a protest.

"Hey!" Naruto yelled, obviously not liking that his opponent was taken from him. He turned towards me, suddenly grinning.

"Do you want to dance, Hinata? I bet you're pretty good at it!"

I blinked. I had spent the majority of our evening around him without any aid, and so far I had been fine. It really amazed me that making the simple decision to just stop liking someone could work so well. I turned towards Chouji, smiling apologetically.

"Could you please hold my elephant for a few minutes?"

He grinned, taking the prize from me. "No problem."

Naruto whooped and seized my hand, pulling me in the direction that Sakura had dragged Sasuke off to.

I turned to thank Chouji when I caught Kiba's gaze on me. He had that same sort of frustrated look on his face that I had seen earlier today, after I awkwardly pulled away from him.

I felt a lump in my throat.

Naruto pulled me into the throng of people and looped his arm through mine, kicking his legs high to imitate the dance that the others were doing. My laugh got caught in my throat.

I picked up on the dance quickly, but my eyes wandered back over to the booth with the bottles. Chouji nudged Kiba and pointed towards us, obviously enjoying the sight. Kiba was watching us as well, giving a tight smile when he saw me. My eyebrows furrowed.

There were so many things about him that I suddenly realized that I didn't understand. Those looks that he gave me said so much, but I was lost as to what those messages were. I felt like I was missing something very obvious and it bothered me.

"See? You are good at this!" Naruto shouted to me over the music. I only nodded in return, jumping into the final step as the song ended. The crowd blew up into laughter and applause and the band immediately picked up into another festive tune.

Naruto moved to loop his arm back through mine but I stopped him.

"I'm sorry, but I need to go do something."

He nodded and grinned at me. "No problem! Thanks for the dance!"

He moved back into the thresh of people and I ran back over to Chouji and Kiba.

Chouji held my elephant out towards me but shook my head and instead took hold of Kiba's arm.

He blinked at me. "What is it?"

I smiled. "I want you to come dance with me."

I might have imagined the pink tint in his tan cheeks.

"Thanks, but I'm really not much of a dancer..."

I gave his arm a gentle tug. "It's fine, I'll help you."

He opened his mouth to protest but I was already pulling him out towards the dance floor. Chouji hollered behind us, "Good luck, twinkle-toes!"

Kiba shot him a glare from over his shoulder but it was wasted once I had us immersed in the crowd of dancers.

I turned towards him, fighting off my blush as I brought one of his hands to my waist and took his other in my own. I cleared my throat and spoke towards his shirt. "You just need to move in a really wide box step and then spin a bunch of times."

He had to lean forward to hear me over the people and the closeness was making it feel very warm in the chilly night air.

I started to move my feet into the quick rhythm of the crowd and he clumsily tried to follow me. We wound up tumbling into a couple dancing beside us. They gave us a dirty look.

I looked up at Kiba, smiling sheepishly. "It's okay."

And he was looking at me with that strange warmth again and my heart sped up to mach seven. I still couldn't decipher it, but it always seemed to be a prequel to some other event.

His hand slid around to my lower back, pressing me to him firmly and his other hand tightened on mine. And then he started to move.

He stumbled at first, but he quickly conformed to the dance movements with ease. I smiled. Kiba had always been a fast learner.

A grin spread across his face. I laughed out loud as he spun me away from him, still holding onto my hand. I spun back in and he switched hands, spinning me back out in the opposite direction from before. He spun me back into his arms with my back pressed to his chest just as the song came to a close. The crowd once again erupted into applause.

I leaned my head back to see Kiba's grin still in place.

"You're right—that wasn't so hard."

I breathed heavily, offering a smile of my own. I didn't know if my shortness of breath was because of the energy I spent dancing, or because I was once again strangely close to Kiba's person.

"Hinata, Kiba!"

I looked back down and saw Sakura waving to us, both of our stuffed animals tucked under her arm. She was standing with Sasuke just outside of the dancers. The look on her face said that she was going to be having _words _with me later.

Kiba released his hold on me and it took me entirely too long to step away from him. His grin only widened.

"Come on, Hinata. Let's go have some fun!"

I couldn't stop the goosebumps that rose up on my flesh when he placed his hand on my lower back and ushered me forward.

XXX

**Yes, yes, I haven't updated in years, but I love this story and I have not given up on it!**


End file.
